Ultrasound-assisted Biodiesel Production from Waste Cooking Oil at Room Temperature

Waste cooking oil (WCO) is considered to be a promising alternative for vegetable oils that have been traditionally used for biodiesel production. In this study, WCO with a fairly high free fatty acid content was transesterified into biodiesel in a one-step procedureat room temperature (25℃) under ultrasound irradiation and in the presence of potassium hydroxide (KOH) as catalysts. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to investigate the effects of the methanol/oil molar ratio, reaction time, and catalyst loading on the fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) yield and the biodiesel yield. The optimal reaction conditions for the production of WCO biodiesel were found to be a methanol/oil molar ratio of 8.6:1, a reaction time of 25 min, and a catalyst loading of 2.43 wt%. Under these optimal settings, the FAME and biodiesel yields were 96.4% and 92.7%, respectively. The properties of the resultant WCO biodiesel, including kinetic viscosity, acid number, water content, and flash point, were measured according to ASTM D6751 standards. The obtained results provide useful information for the large-scale production of WCO biodiesel.